Rules of thumb

Spell it out. OR, CT, PNI, PSA… sometimes it may seem like your cancer treatment is an alphabet soup of letters. Learning the abbreviations helps, but if you don’t understand what they refer to, ask your doctor or other healthcare professional for the expanded version.

By any other name. Remember that some cancer concepts can be expressed in several different ways though they’re referring to the same thing. For example, your doctor may refer to a tumor as a lesion, malignancy, mass, or neoplasm.

Scientific words

A number of the words used to describe forms of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and sarcoma, derive from the scholarly language known as New Latin, which scientists used to present their research between the 17th and early 19th centuries. Early modern treatments of the disease were evolving in the same period.

Language of cancer

Understanding the vocabulary helps you communicate.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can feel like waking up in a foreign country, where you don’t know the language and customs, and you have no maps to find your way home.

In the first weeks after your diagnosis, you’ll likely meet with an array of different specialists, undergo a variety of tests, and encounter a whole lexicon of new cancer- and treatment-related terms. While the language of cancer can be intimidating, learning the basics can help you gain control of your new situation and give you clarity as you make important decisions about your treatment.

Types of cancer

There are five major types of cancer, based on the type of tissue where the diseased cells originate:

Carcinomas are solid tumors that can form on almost any organ, including the skin. Adenocarcinomas start in the cells covering a gland, such as the ovaries, and squamous cell carcinomas form in the cells covering other internal tissues, such as the cervix or lungs. 80% of tumors are classified as carcinomas.

Sarcomas start in connective tissue such as muscle, fat, cartilage, and bone. Tumors in fatty tissue are called liposarcomas, and bone tumors are called osteosarcomas.

Leukemias are hematologic, or blood, cancers that originate in the blood or blood-forming organs. These cancer cells don’t usually form solid tumors.

Lymphomas are hematologic cancers that develop in the lymphatic system — the network of nodes and vessels that transports lymphatic fluid through the body.

Myelomas, cancers that start in plasma cells found in bone marrow, were once considered uncommon but are now diagnosed much more often.

Since most parts of the body are composed of different kinds of tissue, it’s possible for two people with tumors of the same primary site to have different types of cancer. Uterine cancers, for example, are usually carcinomas, but they can also occur as sarcomas, if they develop in the connective tissue of the uterus.

Major defensive players

The immune system plays a major role in helping your body fight cancer. Here are some of the forces on the front line:

The lymphatic system which includes lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, and the spleen, helps the body to cleanse itself of bacteria and other harmful substances.
Leukocytes, or white blood cells, protect the body by repairing damaged cells, killing foreign organisms, and helping heal injured tissue.
Protein molecules called antibodies are created when the immune system detects an antigen — a bacteria, virus, or other invader. Each antibody is uniquely designed to destroy a specific antigen.
Natural Killer, or NK, cells patrol the body, looking for cancerous cells and viruses. Unlike antibodies, NK cells carry about 100 poisonous chemical substances and can destroy intruders quickly, without ever having seen them before.

Learn the language

You may find it hard to keep track of all the cancer terms you come across during your diagnosis and treatment. Here are a few to remember:

Primary tumor. A cancer is named after its primary site, or the part of the body in which it develops. For instance, cancer that develops in the breast and spreads to the bone is still called breast cancer, not bone cancer.

Metastasis. When cancer spreads from the primary site to other organs or tissues of the body, it is said to metastasize. Cancer usually spreads through the blood or the lymphatic system.

Progression. The growth of a tumor or the spread of cancer throughout the body is a progression. If cancer appears to be in remission but it comes back after less than three months, it’s most likely a progression, not a recurrence.

Remission. When diagnostic tests show that cancer is no longer present, the cancer is in remission. Some doctors use this term and NED (no evidence of disease) interchangeably. While cancer cells may remain, they’re undetectable.

Recurrence. This indicates the return of cancer after a time of remission.

Stable disease. A cancer that is neither growing nor getting smaller in response to treatment is said to be stable.